It seems like weighted vests are trending every few years. From being used as an accessory for rucking and endurance training to being promoted as a game-changing tool for fat loss, they are always lingering in the background of popular fitness discourse. More recently, the increasing popularity of high-intensity functional fitness movements and Hyrox training has given weighted vests a substantial boost in mainstream popularity. The claims surrounding weighted vests are often quite extreme, promising rapid muscle building and bone strengthening effects, massive increases in energy expenditure, and the kind of hyperbolic marketing jargon we frequently see accompanying any newly popularized fitness trend.
But are weighted vests actually anything more than just another supplementary fitness tool primarily suited for individuals who are already lifting weights and maintaining high levels of physical activity?
Before delving deeply into the scientific literature, the personal experiences of many fitness enthusiasts often mirror a common trap. Like many others, I purchased a weighted vest a few years ago without conducting thorough due diligence. Intuition got the best of me, and the internal monologue was simple: “Hey, might as well add a bunch of weight to some of my daily walks for extra health gains.”
However, when looking to find empirical literature to support what felt like common sense, it was surprising to see that there is actually not a robust body of evidence in support of weighted vests being a game changer for broad health gains as it pertains specifically to walking while wearing one. A 2006 study examining a small cohort of 10 individuals did report some measurable effect of wearing a weighted vest at faster walking speeds on oxygen consumption, while a separate study focusing on older adults actually found that wearing a weighted vest did not really do much more for physical function than simply walking without one. That said, there is some evidence suggesting that wearing a weighted vest may have beneficial effects on running economy in distance runners and a few proxies of performance in soccer players. But as far as supercharging the fundamental health benefits of an everyday walking routine? As it stands from the current research, that does not seem to be the case.
The conversation naturally shifts toward weight maintenance and weight loss, areas where weighted vests frequently capture public interest. A 2024 paper looked closely at the metabolic cost of walking with weighted vests and found that the energy cost of vest loading increased in a nonlinear fashion, being roughly proportional to the total external load carried. Mainstream media outlets quickly covered the study with sensationalized headlines along the lines of "Weighted walking found to increase energy burn by over 40%!" Yet, the reality of things in the laboratory may not be quite as exciting or practical as those headlines suggest.
To test the metabolic response, the study’s authors had active military-age men and women walk on treadmills with either no vest or immense loads equating to 22%, 44%, and 66% of their total body mass—vastly different from a standard consumer weighted vest. To put these figures into proper perspective, a separate clinical study on older adults looking at the effect of weighted vests on weight loss and body composition defined light vests as accounting for just 1% of the participants’ body weight, and heavy vests as accounting for 11%. Therefore, unless an individual is planning on carrying around more than 40% of their total body mass for extended periods, they are unlikely to burn more than a few extra calories. While it is true that in some specific contexts, even a few extra calories might hold minor significance, it is a far cry from a true game changer when it comes to sustainable weight loss.
Speaking more broadly about weight loss, the study in older adults mentioned previously noted that participants who wore a heavier vest lost more body weight and fat mass over time while also managing to gain a small amount of fat-free mass. Contrastingly, a completely different study in older adults, which specifically looked at the effects of wearing a weighted vest for approximately 10 hours per day while adhering to a controlled low-calorie diet, found no significant differences in total weight lost or overall body composition changes between the experimental and control groups. Interestingly, and as published in a separate paper years later, those individuals who wore the weighted vest during the trial managed to maintain better overall weight loss in the two-year period following the conclusion of the study.
When looking at the broader picture, weighted vests are likely not a piece of equipment that everyday trainees need to prioritize if they are already physically active and engaging in structured resistance training. They may serve as a useful accessory to spice up cardiovascular conditioning routines or to add a manageable degree of external resistance to standard body weight exercises, but the scientific community still requires a substantial amount of additional, rigorous research before suggesting anything beyond those limited applications.
